Apparatus, System, and Method for Providing Parallel Access to a Data Set Configured for Automatic Recovery

1. An apparatus to provide parallel access to recovery control (“RECON”) data set configured for automatic recovery, the apparatus comprising: a database server comprising a processor and a memory device, configured to store executable and operational data, the memory device comprising: an access module configured to establish parallel access to a recovery control (“RECON”) data set, the data set configured for a “pair and a spare” automatic recovery process, the RECON data set having a first data set, a second data set, and a spare data set, the parallel access established through multiple access points to the RECON data set, each access point handling transactions between one or more distinct application instances and the first data set in the RECON data set such that the application instances perform multiple reads from the first data set, the access module mirroring updates of the first data set to the second data set; a conversion module configured to actively convert access to the first data set from parallel access to single point access in response to an application instance detecting an error in the first data set, the conversion module issuing a quiesce command to the application instances configured to access the failed first data set, and queuing the quiesce command for each application instance configured to use the failed first data set such that pending transactions are completed and additional transactions that use the failed first data set are halted, the conversion module re-routing a logical pointer pointing to the failed first data set to a new address of a non-failed data set, the non-failed data set comprising one of the datasets of the RECON data set that has not failed, and reassigning the non-failed data set to become the first data set and the first data set to become one of the spare data set and the second data set; a recovery module configured to recover the failed data set of the RECON dataset using the automatic recovery process initiated by the application instance that detects the error; and a restore module configured to restore access to the failed data set from single point access to parallel access in response to successful automatic recovery of the failed data set.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein an application instance accessing the RECON data set cancels an active transaction in response to encountering an error in the data set.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the restore module further comprises a reissue module configured to reissue the canceled transaction in response to successful automatic recovery of the failed data set.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the recovery module further comprises: an initiate module configured to initiate an automatic data set recovery in response to acknowledgement of the quiesce command from each of the application instances configured to access the failed data set; and a blocking module configured to block transactions from newly started application instances from accessing the failed data set of the RECON dataset.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the automatic recovery process further comprises a standard recovery process implemented on a “pair and a spare” data set architecture.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the restore module further comprises a reestablish module configured to issue an end-quiesce command to application instances configured to use the failed data set, such that parallel access to the data set is reestablished.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a detect module configured to detect an error in one of the three data sets indirectly by examining return results from intermediary applications accessing the data set.

8. A system to provide parallel access to data sets configured for automatic recover, the system comprising: a recovery control (“RECON”) data set consisting of: a first data set configured for use by application instances; a second data set configured to actively mirror data of the first data set; a spare data set configured to replace one of the first data set and the second data set in response to a failure; wherein the first data set, second data set, and third data set are within the RECON data set, and a cross-system communication facility configured to facilitate cross-system communication between a plurality of application instances and the RECON data set; and a controller configured to: establish parallel access between the plurality of application instances and any one of the RECON data sets through interaction with the cross-system communications facility, the parallel access established through multiple access points to the RECON data sets, each access point handling transactions between a distinct application instance and the data set such that the application instances can do multiple reads from the same data set, the access module mirroring updates on the first data set to the second data set; actively convert access to one of the three or more data sets from parallel access to single point access in response to an application instance detecting an error in one of the three or more data sets by re-routing a logical pointer pointing to the failed data set to a new address of one of a non-failed data set such that the logical pointer points to a non-failed data set, the non-failed dataset comprising one of the datasets of the RECON dataset that has not failed; recover the failed data set of the RECON dataset using the automatic recovery process initiated by the application instance that detects the error; and restore access to the failed data set from single point access to parallel access in response to successful automatic recovery of the failed data set.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein an application instance accessing one of the RECON data set cancels an active transaction and queues a quiesce command for each application instance configured to use one of the RECON data set such that pending transactions are completed and additional transactions are temporarily halted while the quiesce command is active in response to encountering an error in the RECON data set.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured to initiate a standard automatic recovery process on the RECON data set in response to acknowledgement of the quiesce command from each of the application instances configured to access the RECON data set.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured to issue an end-quiesce command to application instances configured to use the RECON data set, such that parallel access to the RECON data set is reestablished and reissue the cancelled transaction in response to successful automatic recovery of the RECON data set.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured to detect an error in the RECON data set indirectly by examining return results from intermediary applications accessing the RECON data set.

13. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having computer usable program code executable to provide parallel access to data sets configured for automatic recovery, the operations comprising: an operation to establish parallel access to any one of the three or more data sets configured for a “pair and a spare” automatic recovery process, the parallel access established through multiple access points to one of the three or more data sets, each access point handling transactions between a distinct application instance and the data set such that the application instances can do multiple reads from the same data set, the access module mirroring updates on the first data set to the second data set; an operation to actively convert access to one of the three or more data sets from parallel access to single point access in response to an application instance detecting an error in one of the three or more data sets by re-routing a logical pointer pointing to a failed data set to a new address of one of the non-failed three or more data sets such that the logical pointer points to a non-failed data set, where in the operation to convert further comprises operations to quiesce transactions comprising: an operation to issue a quiesce command to other application instances configured to access the failed data set; an operation to queue the quiesce command for each application instance configured to use the failed data set such that pending transactions are completed and additional transactions are temporarily halted while the quiesce command is active; and an operation to block transactions from newly initiated application instances; an operation to recover the failed data set using the automatic recovery process initiated by the application instance that detects the error; and an operation to restore access to the failed data set from single point access to parallel access in response to successful automatic recovery of the failed data set.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , further comprising an operation to cancel an active transaction in response to an application instance encountering an error in the data set.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the operation to recover further comprises an operation to initiate an automatic data set recovery process in response to acknowledgement of the quiesce command from each of the application instances configured to access the failed data set.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the operation to restore further comprises an operation to issue an end-quiesce command to application instances configured to use the failed data set, such that parallel access to the data set is reestablished, and an operation to reissue a cancelled transaction in response to successful automatic recovery of the data set.

17. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise an operation to detect an error in the data set indirectly by examining return results from intermediary applications accessing the data set.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a cancel module configured to cancel an active transaction in response to encountering an error in the RECON data set.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the conversion module converts access to the RECON data set in response to a detect module detecting an error indirectly by examining return results from an intermediary application interfacing with the RECON data set.